If someone walks around campus, they’re likely to see half of the students with a phone pressed up to their ear. Some people don’t care if they have the most recent phone as long as it serves its purpose.

However, many students count down the days until a new cell phone hits the market. In today’s society, having the latest cell phone is an object to show their status. Recently, the trend has been to get the slimmest, tiniest phone possible.

The new Motorola Razr V3 by Cingular is about the slimmest phone on the market. Many women like the Razr line, because it’s the only phone that comes in bright pink. However, get past the loud color and there are many features that make it a wonderful cell phone.

The Razr comes with a 1,000 name phone book. The phone also has a camera, Web browser, MP3 support, and AOL Instant Messenger. The Motorola Razr V3 costs around $250 from Cingular, but shop around on the Web for cheaper prices.

The Palm Treo 700w is technically a Smart Phone, which means it is a cell phone and PDA in one. The Palm Treo 700w runs Windows Mobile 5, a Windows operating system for PDAs, has a 1.3 megapixel camera, and comes with Bluetooth capabilities.

Users can also receive email from Microsoft Outlook, and the Treo 700w also has a download speed of 400Kbps to 700Kbps with EV-DO. EV-DO means Evolution-Data Only, which means it can only download high-speed data.

However, many reviewers say that the size and weight of the Smart Phone is too big. The Palm Treo 700w is 4.4 inches by 2.3 inches. The screen doesn’t have as good resolution which gives the screen a washed out look. The Palm Treo 700w is available from Verizon for $499.

The LG Chocolate by Verizon was released in August after much hype. Many students will like the Chocolate because it has many multimedia features. It supports WMA and MP3 formats, and every song costs 99 cents. The Chocolate also has email and instant messaging support.

One of the features that the Chocolate lacks is a speakerphone. The most basic cell phones has a speakerphone, but the Chocolate doesn’t. There’s also a low-talk battery life that many users won’t be happy with. The LG Chocolate is $149 from Verizon.

The most durable phone on the market right now is the Nextel i580. Nextel has always been known for their durable phones, because Nextel phones are usually covered in rubber. One feature that many phones don’t have that the i580 has is the capability to support 2 phone lines. The Next i580 also comes with Bluetooth, 25MB of internal memory and a Micro SD slot. With all Nextel phones, the i580 has walkie-talkie capabilities up to six miles with other Nextel phones.

The Nextel i580 is big and bulky, but it’s durable and comes with a lot of features. This phone is perfect for anyone who’s accident-prone and likes to drop their phone. The i580 is available from Nextel for $249.

The Nokia n80 has many features that other phones have, but the n80 has a 3-megapixel camera and 20x zoom and a VGA camera. The n80 has two cameras in one phone. Users can also add text to the photo and reduce red eye. It also has a few Smart Phone capabilities that lets users view Microsoft Office documents and check email.

The only drawback to the Nokia n80 is that there’s no backing from a U.S. company. This means that the n80 will cost users around $700. The n80 is expensive, but users will definitely get their money’s worth in features.

When buying a cell phone, people have to decide what they’re looking for. If someone wants a phone and hand-held computer in one, then a Palm Treo 700w would be the best bet. If someone has a bad habit of throwing and dropping their phone, a Nextel i580 would be the best choice. The type of phone depends on the features a buyer wants and the price they’re willing to pay for it. Cell phones are almost mandatory for students now, and it’s important that students get the best deal for the best price.